Pentagon watchdog warns of ammunition shortfalls from Iran war The US Department of Defence inspector general reports that the military campaign in Iran has led to significant strategic inventory shortfalls and industrial base bottlenecks for munitions resupply, with $22.3 billion spent on expended munitions alone. The assessment highlights substantial equipment losses and damaged installations across the region, posing challenges for future military operations. The US Department of Defence inspector general has revealed that the United States is facing strategic shortfalls in ammunition reserves as a direct consequence of its costly military campaign in Iran. In a report delivered to Congress, the Pentagon watchdog stated that between February 28 and June 30, Operation Epic Fury (OEF) incurred an estimated expenditure of $33.4 billion, with $22.3 billion consumed by expended munitions alone. The report noted that "the munitions expenditure on OEF has resulted in strategic inventory shortfalls and revealed industrial base bottlenecks for munitions resupply." The watchdog outlined significant equipment losses sustained by the American fleet during the campaign, documenting four F-15 fighter aircraft destroyed, one F-35 stealth fighter damaged, seven KC-135 refuelling tankers damaged, and up to 30 MQ-9 Reaper drones shot down. While President Trump asserted on Monday that American factories are producing "more Exquisite and Elite Weapons than at any time in our History," reports have highlighted that acute shortages of long-range precision-guided missiles and air-defence interceptors have constrained military planning against Iran, with US forces having exhausted nearly 80 percent of their THAAD missile interceptor inventories.During the opening 24 hours of the conflict, US Central Command (CENTCOM) conducted strikes against more than 1,000 targets-a scale of bombardment the military has not repeated in subsequent months. The watchdog added that Iranian strikes damaged or destroyed hundreds of facilities across US installations, including significant damage to the Al Udeid Air Base in Qatar, where repair costs remain unquantified as officials debate whether damaged sites will be rebuilt and who will fund the operations